Status

Characteristics

Gender: Male

Height: 200,66 cm

Weight: 136 kg

Eyes: Red

Hair: Bald

Skin: Green

Unusual Features: Although obviously alien in appearance, the form that most Earthlings associate with the Martian Manhunter is not actually his true form. In his natural state of being, J'onn has a slender body, with sharp, angular features and a tapered cranium. The more muscular "beetle-brow" appearance was inspired by Saul Erdel, who convinced J'onn to assume a form derived from the literary works of science fiction authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and Ray Bradbury.

Origin

Origin: Martian survivor living on Earth as a superhero.

Universe: Earth-One, New Earth

Place of Origin: Mars

Place of Birth: Ma'aleca'andra

History

Origin

Centuries ago on the planet Ma'aleca'andra, the Green Martians known as M'yrnn and Sha'sheen gave birth to twin sons. The bearing of twins was uncommon among the Martian culture, and as such, the first of the twins was named J'onn J'onzz, whose name means "Light to the Light." J'onn's brother however, was born a mutant, bereft of a Martian's innate ability to communicate telepathically. He was named Ma'alefa'ak, whose named means "Darkness in the Heart."

As an adult, J'onn became a Manhunter (police officer) and married a Martian woman named M'yri'ah. The two established a modest home for themselves beneath the windswept Martian plains and gave birth to a daughter named K'hym.

Years passed, and J'onn's brother Ma'alefa'ak grew to despise everything about Martian culture. In an ambitious endeavor to commit full-scale genocide against his own people, he engineered a contagious virus known as H'ronmeer's Curse. The virus reacted to telepathic energy, and carried from one Martian to the next whenever they elected to use their psionic powers. The plague responded to a Martian's innate fear of fire, causing them psychosomatic stress so intense, that their bodies and minds would literally burst into flame. J'onn desperately tried to keep his wife and daughter from using their mental gifts, but they were unable and so, contracted the plague. K'hym was the first to experience the symptoms, and M'yri'ah followed soon after. J'onn was anguished as he watched his family burning to death before his very eyes. The trauma of the event shattered his psyche, and nearly drove him mad.

Welcome to Earth

Meanwhile on the planet Earth, a would-be scientist named Dr. Saul Erdel developed a transmitter machine based upon ancient Martian technology. Seeking to make contact with extraterrestrial life, he aimed his device towards the vicinity of Mars and activated it. The transmitter beam streaked across both space and time, striking the Martian Manhunter at a point in time several centuries before Erdel would even be born. The beam brought J'onn back to Erdel's natural time era, where he collapsed on the ground outside of the doctor's Colorado laboratory.

Erdel brought the distraught Martian inside and attempted to nurse him back to health. The anguish of J'onn's mental state created a psychic bond between the two, and Erdel became aware of the events that took place on Mars. In an effort to heal J'onn's mind, Erdel used the mental link to fabricate a new history for the Martian. He created a back-story inspired by the writings of famous science fiction novelists such as Ray Bradbury and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Eventually, J'onn's sanity was restored, and he was prepared to function in this strange, new world. Erdel put the idea into his head that he should become a great champion, and thus J'onn adopted the heroic guise of the Martian Manhunter.

J'onn J'onzz is accidentally teleported to Earth by a human scientist, Dr. Erdel, who immediately has a heart attack and dies, leaving the Martian stranded and unable to return.[1] He is able to use his powers to fit in, adopting a human-like appearance and calling himself "John Jones." He joins the police force, secretly using his alien powers to help the inhabitants of his new planet. After he had given up his John Jones persona he became Marco Xavier in order to infiltrate the international crime cartel known as VULTURE. Early on, the Manhunter from Mars adopted a more characteristically superheroic modus operandi, openly fighting crime in a green-skinned form.

Early Years

Later it was revealed that Mars was dead when J'onn was taken, killed by a mental plague deliberately started by his brother Ma'alefa'ak. He took the identity of the Bronze Wraith, and fought crime with the Justice Experience.[2]

The Martian Manhunter's history is intimitely linked with that of the Justice League of America: He is a founding member of the team.

JLI

During the Justice League International years, J'onn is shown to be obsessed with Chocos, partially due to Captain Marvel's influence.

J'onzz reveals that his familiar appearance is not his true Martian form but a "compromise" between his true form and a human appearance - explaining that his real form is private and that, even on Mars, his "public" appearance was the familiar version.

In addition to serving in the League under his own identity, he also joins (under duress) as "Bloodwynd."

JLA

The Martian Manhunter is the most recognized hero in the Southern Hemisphere, and that he maintains a number of different secret identities, many of them outside the United States; however, following two incidents (in which John Jones separates from the Martian Manhunter), he decides to focus on his original human identity and retire the others.

Later, the Martian Manhunter attempts to conquer his fear of fire and makes a deal with a flame-wielding villainess named Scorch, who wants J'onzz' telepathic help in dealing with her own mental issues. 20,000 years before, an extremely dangerous race of beings called "the Burning," caused large fires to help themselves reproduce asexually. In order to prevent the Burning from destroying much of the universe, the Guardians of the Universe split the species into the Green Martians and the White Martians, changed their reproductive behavior, and instilled in them a fear of fire. When the Martian Manhunter confronts his fear of fire, he reverts into one of the ancient creatures and changes his name to Fernus. His genetic memory identifies threats such as Vandal Savage, who killed one of the Burning on ancient Earth. This same genetic memory also makes Fernus hate the Green Lantern, due to his association with the Oans.

Fernus increases the strength of the powers he inherits from J'onn: For example, he can phase other beings rather than just himself, and he has access to pyrokinesis. He can breathe fire of such intensity it harms Scorch, who had previously been thought immune to damage from fire. Fernus' tremendous strength also allows him to dominate the Justice League in combat even without his Martian telepathic powers. He can also heal himself from almost total destruction within seconds.

The Justice League eventually defeats Fernus by re-enlisting Plastic Man, who is immune to Fernus' psychic powers and has superior shape-changing abilities. It is implied that Batman recruited Plastic Man to the Justice League as a balance in case the Martian Manhunter ever goes out of control.

After destroying Fernus, J'onn grieves for Scorch, who had fallen into coma, and with whom he had fallen in love. J'onn later tells Superman that his aversion to fire has changed: he is now invulnerable to flames unless they are "flames of passion" or of some other "psychic significance."

Infinite Crisis and "One Year Later"

Although J'onzz is initially thought killed in the explosion of the Justice League Watchtower, Justice League member Manitou Dawn receives a telepathic vision of J'onzz assuring her that he "will reveal himself in time," but needs her help to keep an eye on a mysterious, newly-powerful telepath - the mind-controlling villain Key - whose abilities he had always managed to dampen before.

J'onzz resurfaces during Infinite Crisis, unconscious and connected to Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s vibrational tower, along with Lady Quark, the Ray, Black Adam, Power Girl, Nightshade, and Breach. Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Nightwing free J'onzz and the others from Alexander's tower.

Oracle asks J'onzz to telepathically coordinate the heroes' response to the Society's global jailbreak. He joins the assembled heroes in the defense of Metropolis from the combined might of the world's supervillains and in the battle against Superboy-Prime.

In the following months, J'Onn masqueraded as U.S. Secretary of State Kakalios in an attempt to bring down Checkmate. He was successful in eliminating it as a U.S. government-controlled agency. However, it soon reorganized under the United Nations.

One of the most dramatic changes in J'onn's life occurred a short time later. While operating under the guise of William Dyer, he discovered that several Green Martians had crash-landed on Earth, and were being held by high-ranking members of the Defense Department. One of the Martians, Roh'kar, broke free of his confinement and made contact with the Martian Manhunter. The union was bittersweet however, as a brainwashed assassin ended Roh'kar's life with a weapon designed to target Martians. [3] J'onn found five of Roh'kar's colleagues and rescued them from the bowels of a government think tank. He established a safe house for them and pledged to do everything in his power to keep them safe from government scrutiny.

Infinite Crisis and "One Year Later"

Although J'onzz is initially thought killed in the explosion of the Justice League Watchtower, Justice League member Manitou Dawn receives a telepathic vision of J'onzz assuring her that he "will reveal himself in time," but needs her help to keep an eye on a mysterious, newly-powerful telepath - the mind-controlling villain Key - whose abilities he had always managed to dampen before.

J'onzz resurfaces during Infinite Crisis, unconscious and connected to Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s vibrational tower, along with Lady Quark, the Ray, Black Adam, Power Girl, Nightshade, and Breach. Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Nightwing free J'onzz and the others from Alexander's tower.

Oracle asks J'onzz to telepathically coordinate the heroes' response to the Society's global jailbreak. He joins the assembled heroes in the defense of Metropolis from the combined might of the world's supervillains and in the battle against Superboy-Prime.

In the following months, J'Onn masqueraded as U.S. Secretary of State Kakalios in an attempt to bring down Checkmate. He was successful in eliminating it as a U.S. government-controlled agency. However, it soon reorganized under the United Nations.

One of the most dramatic changes in J'onn's life occurred a short time later. While operating under the guise of William Dyer, he discovered that several Green Martians had crash-landed on Earth, and were being held by high-ranking members of the Defense Department. One of the Martians, Roh'kar, broke free of his confinement and made contact with the Martian Manhunter. The union was bittersweet however, as a brainwashed assassin ended Roh'kar's life with a weapon designed to target

Martians. [3] J'onn found five of Roh'kar's colleagues and rescued them from the bowels of a government think tank. He established a safe house for them and pledged to do everything in his power to keep them safe from government scrutiny.

The Blackest Night

Recently the Blackest Night has started, the dead have risen all over the universe and J'onn is one of them. After his resurrection and reclutation to the Black Lantern Corps he went to confront Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, who were talking over Batman's grave being robbed. He approaches them saying that they should be dead and begins to fight the two and is soon joined by Black Lanterns Elongated Man, Sue Dibny, Firestorm, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl.[4] When the Atom arrives, Barry and Hal create a fire tornado to destroy J'onn. This fails to stop him, and the heroes are cornered until Indigo-1 and another Indigo Lantern arrive to drive them off.[5] At the end of the Blackest Night, J'onn is revived by the Entity along with other heroes and a few villains. When Superman asks if J'onn is truly alive, J'onn responds, "It appears so."

Brightest Day

J'onn is a very prominent member, finding a water source on Mars and was last seen talking with the daughter of the man who first saw him on Earth. J'onn was seen last tucking her into bed in a retirement home, in the form of her father[7]. He was later seen at the old lab. However, plant life starts to die every time he gets near. He later went to see M'gann M'orzz in Australia during her mediation search, but found her beaten and tied up.[8] While tending to her, he is contacted by the Entity, who instructs him to burn down the newly-formed forest.[9] When J'onn's asks M'gann who did this to her, M'gann says she was attacked by a female green Martian. After this J'onn is sensing somewhere in Star City.[10] J'onn arrives on Star City's new forest, he attempts to burn down, however he was telepathically attacked by the Entity. The Entity reveals to him that the newly-formed forest he is to burn
down is on Mars. After J'onn lashed out the Star City's forest, he started to return home [11]. When J'onn enters his home, he is confronted by a female green Martian named D'Kay D'Razz, who is the one responsible for M'gann's attack. D'kay explains her origins and wants to be his mate. J'onn refuses, learning she is a psychopath, when D'kay angrily lashes out to attack and enters his mind. J'onn tries to resist influence from D'kay's mind, but her control over his mind tempts him with visions of a fantasy world where all the Martians and J'onn's family are resurrected by the Entity. While re-united with his lost family, J'onn discovers that they are false and realizes that they are a ruse and the death corpse is carved of Martian symbols of love and hate from D'kay's influence. J'onn arrives vengeful and wrings D'kay's neck in disgust. J'onn defeats D'kay by forcing her into the sun, but is saved from the same fate by the White Lantern Entity, who informs him that his mission has been accomplished, and returns his life to him [12]. The Entity then told J'onn to choose between Mars and Earth. J'onn chose Earth and returned only to be absorbed into the Earth by the Entity as "part of the plan." When the "Dark Avatar," made his presence known, Martian Manhunter is revealed to be part of the Elementals. Martian Manhunter was transformed by the Entity to become the element of Earth and protect the Star City forest from the "Dark Avatar," which appears to be the Black Lantern version of the Swamp Thing. The Elementals are then fused with the body of Alec Holland in order for him to be transformed by the Entity into the new Swamp Thing and battle against the Dark Avatar. After the Dark Avatar is defeated, Swamp Thing brought Martian Manhunter back to normal. Afterwards, J'onn helps Melissa Erdel and removes the piece of machinery from her head that made her lose her mind.

Personality

Like all Martians, J'onn has a somewhat cold and stoic demeanor. He has very restricted emotional expressions. J'onn typically acts as the voice of reason in the Justice League and is one of the wisest leaders within the hero community, along with Batman and Superman.

Despite his cold exterior, J'onn is one of the kindest and most noble heroes operating on earth. The Manhunter has demonstrated enormous willpower, as evidenced by his ability to retain his sanity after the death of his race. He has a subtle sense of humor and an affinity for the chocolate cookie sandwiches called Chocos. The Martian Manhunter is considered by many to be the heart and soul of the Justice League.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Genetically Modified Martian Physiology: Martian Manhunter has been described as "the Swiss Army knife of superheroes." He possesses many of the powers of Superman. Note: Many, if not all of the Martian Manhunter's powers and abilities are common to members of his race, even if demonstration of such abilities has not been explicitly shown in a canonical resource. His powers come from his alien physiology. Born of Mars over a
millennium ago, from a super advanced civilization, boasting advanced technology and genetic modifications over its people, the Martian Manhunter would appear to be a genetically modified being with incredible powers stemming from the changes made in his body.[citation needed] Whether this is their natural state or an advanced state given to only a few individuals is unknown. The Martian's physiology would seem to be composed of a complex molecular chain that resembles polymer bonds but with the ability to be altered at will. The Martian Manhunter can change his mass, color, relative shape, imitating even clothing if desired. The bio-polymer is extremely flexible, durable, incredibly strong for a biological material and apparently self-sustaining[15]. It is unknown if the Martian Manhunter actually needs to eat or not but he has been seen consuming food, particularly

"Chocos," a brand of cookies.

Shape-Shifting, Malleability, Plasticity, Elongation: The most incredible of the powers of the Manhunter is the ability to shape-shift. He is able to literally control the molecular structure of his body's bio-polymer and make it resemble anything he wants. He can form clothing and weapons with non-moving or non-functioning parts. There does not seem to be any limit to the number of people the Manhunter can imitate and has stood in as a double for many famous people. His ability to imitate people and their mannerisms has stood him in good stead for his disguises. He has recently been seen to shape-shift into the size and shape of a common house fly and to enormous sizes comparable to skyscrapers. He is also able to change colors.

Invisibility: The Manhunter can cause the bio-polymers in his body to lose their ability to reflect light, rendering the Manhunter invisible to normal light
and human sight. With more increased concentration, he can render himself completely invisible along the electromagnetic spectrum, including the infrared and the

ultraviolet ranges of the spectrum. This invisibility does not affect every other sense and he could still be detected by touch.

Phasing: The Manhunter can phase through solid matter. No explanation of this power has been given, but it might possibly be an aspect of his psionic powers, perhaps shifting his mass into another dimension or out of vibrational phase with other objects in this dimension.

Superhuman Durability: The bio-morphic structure of the Manhunter's body allows him to absorb almost all kinetic energies such as high caliber-bullets, shrapnel, or flying debris easily. He can harden his bio-polymers by rebinding them and increase his durability to the point where he is nearly on par with Superman. Along with his nigh-invulnerability, his shape shifting makes him even more difficult to harm. Hazardous environments practically do not affect the Martian Manhunter. In addition, Martian Manhunter's immune system protects him from all toxins and diseases (meaning he is unable to succumb to any earthly disease or infection).

Superhuman Strength: The Martian Manhunter is one of the strongest beings on the planet. The Martian's superhuman strength comes from his plasmorphic structure formed from immensely long and complex molecular chains,[citation needed] augmented with his psionic and telekinetic abilities allowing him to lift incredible weights without these weights crumbling under the stress. The Martian has been seen lifting tankers out of the ocean for vast distances, stalemating powerhouses like Superman, and he has even helped tow the moon and objects as large as the Earth itself together with Superman. J'onn's strength is great enough to the point that he has drawn blood from beings as durable as Kryptonians such as Supergirl by his punches alone. By modifying the density of these bio-polymers, the Manhunter can make himself stronger by forcing the polymers into tighter bundles. While at a rest state the limits of his strength are unknown, the Manhunter can lift 100 tons without much effort. He is nearly as powerful as the likes of Superman when concentrating his bio-polymers to their full capabilities[16].

Superhuman Endurance: J'onn's endurance is just as formidable as his strength or invulnerability. He can operate under extreme conditions for an indeterminate period of time without showing signs of fatigue. The exact range of this power is unknown.

Regeneration: The Martian Manhunter has shown amazing regenerative abilities. His regenerative abilities are so great that he has been able to completely regenerate from nothing but his severed hand[17], regenerate in moments from nothing than a puddle of green liquid and other

moments, having his head cut off, and he has shown total control over his molecular structure.

Flight: The Martian Manhunter flies by manipulation of gravitons (a subatomic particle associated with the force of gravity), manipulation of magnetic fields and control of his absolute molecular movement (a telekinetic effect).[citation needed] These combine to give him the ability to fly great distances with little fatigue and at great speed. He has been seen to fly at Mach 10 speeds (7690 mph) in the Earth's atmosphere. Speeds faster than this cause great environmental damage and are avoided unless absolutely necessary. His bio-polymorphic skin and overall toughness make these speeds bearable and cause him no injury. The Manhunter has also been seen flying in space with no difficulty, and in space he can fly at speeds that has allowed him to keep up with the likes of even Superman. J'onn can therefore fly at speeds exceeding the escape velocity of earth (7 miles per second) under his own power.

Superhuman Speed: Either through flight or natural movement, the Martian Manhunter can maintain speed and reflexes far in excess to that of even most superhumans. Like the power of flight, this is accomplished by manipulating the magnetic fields of energy surrounding his body, as well as ambient gravitational particles.[citation needed] Traditionally, J'onn only uses his superhuman speed while flying. He has admitted that he is not as fast as Superman but this can be argued as he has shown speed feats that is nearly at Superman's level, such as the speed necessary to fly around the earth destroying multiple targets around the planet in seconds and managed to also save Kyle Rayner in the end. He can process thoughts, move, and react at super speed. J'onn has also demonstarted that he is fast enough to comfortably catch bullets and other propelled projectiles.

Extrasensory Input: J'onn possesses nine different senses. One of these senses could account for instances of the Manhunter's perceived precognitive abilities (see Trivia).

Longevity

Super Hearing

Super Breath: The inner valves and chambers inside the Martian Manhunter's air canals are very dense and greatly enhanced, allowing him to, much like Superman, create strong hurricane force winds just by exhaling sending pressured air out.

Martian Vision: The actual nature of this power seems to vary depending on the reports. It has been seen to be a bolt of force,

directed by the Manhunter's eyes causing considerable damage, he has shown that he could easily cause damage greater than 1000 lbs of TNT. It has also been seen to cause flammable objects to catch fire. The range of this power is also unknown but has been seen to be effective at ranges of 1000 feet and more. He can increase the power of his Martian Vision to levels that would even injure the likes of Superman. It also grants J'onn the ability to see into other spectrums of light. J'onn can use his Martian vision to see the invisible. For example, upon their first meeting, J'onn's power allowed him to see past Gypsy's Metahuman camouflage ability; other effects unknown.

Infared Vision

X-Ray Vision

Electro-Magnetic Spectrum Vision

Telescopic Vision

Microscopic Vision

Heat Vision

Telepathy: The Martian Manhunter is the most powerful telepath on the planet[18], and is one of the strongest telepathic beings in the Universe. He is able to read the mind of any human with no difficulties, and the only minds that can cause him trouble are insane minds. He can even read their subconscious mind as well. He can scan the mind of every person on Earth within a matter of moments. He can read a mind over great distances. This telepathy extends to

distances as far away as the moon, since it is known that the Martian Manhunter can communicate with Earth with his telepathy. It is not known whether there is any limit to the number of people he can be attuned to or whether there are any special requirements to being attuned to him. In addition to reading minds, the Martian Manhunter has a multitude of other telepathic capabilities, one of which allows him to literally reprogram the mind of a subject into believing whatever he wants them to. He can use this ability to help subjects forget things that he does not want them to remember as well as set up post-hypnotic suggestions.[19]

Illusions

Induce Sleep

Possession

Mind Scans

Mind Wipes

Astral Projection

Mental Shield: He can prevent other telepaths from reading his mind. He can expand this ability and shield other people from telepathy.

Download Information: Has demonstrated this by downloading information on how to fly a martian space ship into Batman's brain.

Mind Control: The Martian Manhunter can also control other beings minds. Insane minds seem to be the only minds he has some trouble controlling.

Thought Sensing: The Manhunter can use the mental signature of a being to track it and can detect lifeforms by their empathic as well as telepathic signatures. He can detect whether a being is intelligent and can communicate with it emphatically if it does not have a communication driven frame of reference for normal telepathy to function with. He can also detect various states of mind from anywhere in the world.

Telepathic Relay: Other wise known as a telepathic link. As a Class 3 telepath, the Manhunter is able to use his telepathic prowess as a relay station for a group of minds, who can then "speak" to each other through him. This relaying ability seems to be limited to the same range as the Manhunters normal telepathic range.

Telepathic Assault: The Martian Manhunter can also use his telepathic abilities in an offensive manner. He has the ability to cause mental

shutdown in a target using his mental powers. The Manhunter does not use this power often due to the invasive nature and harshness of such a telepathic attack.

Mayavana (Formerly): One of the most prized abilities of the Martians is Mayavana. It is the ability to reach into another mind and create a mental reality as real as any normal reality. The strain of Mayavana is such that it can only be used once in a life time, and so is normally used on the one that a Martian loves the most. J'onn used it on the rampaging Despero so that he thought that he had destroyed the JLH (subsequently he reverted to an embryonic state) and therefore saved his friends.

Abilities

Expert Mediator: The Martian Manhunter's sound reasoning capabilities and long term association with Earth's global population, gives him an edge in dealing with humans of diverse governments, cultures and religions. In the northern hemisphere, the Martian Manhunter is one of many costumed adventurers battling against entropy. In the southern hemisphere of Earth, the Martian Manhunter is more well known than Superman. Considered the scourge of the underworld because of his dedication to truth and improving the lot of humanity everywhere, he is feared by underworld criminals worldwide. His noted skills include:

Master Detective: Highly developed detective skills.

Logical Mind: Advanced reasoning and logic capabilities. Despero once claimed that Ted Kord's mind (IQ 192) was second only to that of J'onn J'onzz.[20]

Personable Attitude: Excellent human relations skills.

Multi-lingual: Fluent in all Earth languages.

Emotional Attunement: Highly developed empathic abilities.

Strength level

Class 100+; J'onn can lift well over 100 tons . On Earth, the Martian Manhunter is physically one of the mightiest heroes possessing vast levels of superhuman strength, strong enough to lift tremendous weights even at a rest state, however on Mars J'onn possesses the strength level of an average adult male Martian in peak physical condition. He has shown that his strength is on par to the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman and he has shown that his is so strong he is capable of helping move objects as large as the planet earth.

Weaknesses

Psychic Pyrophobia: The Martian Manhunter has a psychosomatic fear of fire. It is unknown what the source of this fear is, whether it is a personal fear or a cultural fear, but whichever it is, it is a paralytic fear with the Manhunter. Exposure to fire, causes him to lose his powers, and in the case of extreme fire, to lose his control over his biomorphic form. The Manhunter is more vulnerable in this form and can take damage in this vulnerable state.

He is now invulnerable to flames unless they are "flames of passion" or of some other "psychic significance."

Choco Addiction: It has also been suggested that something within J'onn's physiology makes him addicted to the chemicals used in the Earth snack, Chocos. Withdrawal symptoms include violent bursts of rage, and loss of intellect. However, these claims have never been accurately substantiated, and may even be false.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

The Martian Manhunter owns one of two Kuru pendants. The pendant acts as a repository of ancient Martian lore and knowledge. The second pendant belonged to the late Martian, Roh'kar. J'onn is also known to carry a bag of Chocos with him for snacking.